Doing his bit for the environment...

Question: How many cars does it take to transport one British Prime Minister around Abu Dhabi?

Answer: More than you'd think.

Tony Blair was in town yesterday (we were busy so couldn't hook up - think he was OK about it though).

But wasn't there some government/global policy being mooted recently to do with bringing down carbon emissions?!!

It's Christmas!!! (apparently)

5 "days" until Christmas apparently (notice that the phrase "shopping days" has not really entered common usage in the UAE).

Not feeling at all festive though. Probably due to the fact that today we have had bright blue cloudless sky and sunshine all day. It's not fair (but sympathy will be unforthcoming I know). We get sunshine all through the rest of the year. The recent rain was admittedly getting me more "in the spirit" but that has all dried up (both rain and spirit) in the last few days, so we're back to pretending that it's Christmas when the only thing to confirm it is the many over the top commercial Christmas "displays" that have appeared on shop fronts and in shopping malls.

Admittedly, the Christmas trees in the shopping malls are far and away better than any I've ever seen in the UK, but with so many people breezing past them in shorts and T-shirts, with not a "woolly" in sight, nor the sense of panic and urgency that is usually evident in UK shops by now, something is just missing.

To say nothing of the fact that the Arabic kids must be wondering what all that artificial white stuff is that has been sprayed everywhere (ingeniously made of shredded carrier bags by the way!).

Very much looking forward to a bit of traditional Christmas cold/rain/fog/turkey/more turkey/beer/cheer/more beer and cheer/carols/sausage rolls/mince pies/decent TV/ no taxes..... oh... no, that's here isn't it. Maybe it's not so bad....

News (Part 2)

Michele is pregnant!! Very exciting. Had a scan on Saturday, and all is well. Baby (gender as yet unknown, and hopefully it will stay that way) is 4cm long and surprisingly wriggly for something so small. Estimated due date is early July (hopefully not 1 July as that would mean 3 generations of the same family with the same birthday!).

I guess most people who didn't already know will have guessed this news anyway, but you know the rules re the 3 month limitation on public disclosure!

Anyway, with that and a change of jobs and a move to Dubai, 2007 is shaping up to be quite a busy and eventful year.

We are now welcoming any and all offers of babysitting during 2007. We can provide sunshine and shopping facilities on a mammoth scale in one of the most upcoming cities on the planet. And plenty of dirty nappies, if that isn't enough to persuade you...

Get booking now!

Christmas Trees (and Winter Weather)

We put our Christmas tree up this morning. We were going to do it last night, in the full spirit of Christmas, with curtains closed, a bit of Slade and 'Shakey' on the stereo, mince pies, etc, before Jack's bedtime. We even had traditional Christmas weather here yesterday (rain). Again. Unbelievable weather here lately. In Qatar they had 48 years of rainfall in one day last week!.

But for one reason or another the tree stayed in the box.

So we ended up putting the tree up this morning. With the curtains open, no music on, the sun shining outside and Barney on the TV. Not at all festive. Had forgotten also that our tree is... well... a bit naff really. Too small and lacking the wow factor.

Still, at least Jack got to hang some balls on the tree for the first time. Admittedly not in the traditional style of hooking them over the branches in ornate fashion. More lobbing them at the base, grenade style.

It's Christmas time. And there's no need to be afraid...

(I guess we can be thankful that we haven't reached the "Look what I made at playgroup to hang on the tree" stage yet.)

Goodbye-ing, Buying and Dubai-ing

This week's life changing news: I have resigned from Trowers & Hamlins.

Again.

This time for good.

Again.

After much mulling over with Michele, and way too much thinking (to the point where I was beginning to lose sight of everything) we have decided to cash in our Trowers chips for something better. But not yet a return to the UK. Instead, we're doing the UK equivalent of moving to London - moving to Dubai.

I have accepted a new job with UK law firm Richards Butler (soon to become Reed Smith Richards Butler, following a merger with a big US law firm whereupon it will become one of the top 15 (actually, 15th) law firms in the world; which is a bit cool I think) and will start some point in the Spring. All quite exciting.

It has obviously meant that we have started looking for a place to live. And we are thinking of buying. Property in Dubai has skyrocketed in value recently since they passed a law allowing foreigners to own property. For example, most of the villas we have so far looked at have more than doubled (and in some cases nearly trebled) in value in the last 2 years. Not sure we will benefit from similar inflation, but one can but hope.

And hopefully, given that our friends in the UK should be more familiar with the name Dubai than with Abu Dhabi, we can expect more of them to come and visit. Maybe.

The lengths you have to go to!

Next week's life changing news: wait and see.....;)

Bitbits, bubblef... and Lon

My parents are out visiting us at the moment, for what may be the final time to Abu Dhabi (but more on that in a forthcoming post). They have been doing lots of babysitting for us, and clearly enjoying the advancements that Jack has made since the summer. Most notably in his speech.

The two main passions in Jack's life at the moment are biscuits ("bitbits") and bubbles ("bubblef"). The former being an occasional (perhaps too frequent) treat, and the latter being a favourite pastime involving... well... lots of washing up liquid. The thing is, he gets very excited when the two words are mentioned in close proximity. Yesterday, for example, we were treated to the full-length version of his oft-repeated reply to the semi-question "Jack - Biscuits and bubbles??".

Which goes something along the lines of: "No, no bitbits, no bubblef, no bubblef, no bitbits, no bubblef. An bitbits 'n' bubblef... No bitbits... No bubblef."

None of which is actually an indication of him declining either. Who knows what goes on in that pretty little head of his....

On a separate note, the word "Grandad" is proving a bit difficult at the moment. Not being helped by Jack's occasional laziness in attempting new words. Take, for example, this recent roundtable discussion that involved us all:

Mummy: "Jack, can you say Hello Mummy?"
His Lordship: "'ello Mummy."
Mummy: "...and Hello Daddy?"
HL: "'ello Daddy."
M: "...and Hello Nanny?"
HL: "'ello Nanny."
M: "...and Hello Grandad?"
HL: "Mmm."
M: "No, Hello Grandad."
HL: "Er...um... 'ello mate."

Bless. Of course, matters have not been helped by my Mum calling up the stairs to my Dad earlier in the week, for some reason or another: "Ron?".

Jack has now picked up on that one single instant, and now "Grandad" is affectionately known as "Lon". As the week goes on, Lon is looking a little weary as he is forced to juggle similar sounding cries from wife and grandson.

Nanny: "Ron?"
HL: "Lon! Lon!!! Hahaha.... LON!!!"

Fun for all the family.

The trouble with Sky News

I have mentioned previously the lack of good TV available in the UAE, such that Michele and I often find ourselves watching Sky News to such an extent that you get caught in endless news-loops (you know, where the stories and reports start repeating themselves every 20-30 mins or so).

Guaranteed to inadvertently send you into a fit of desperate rage if you don't quickly escape the loop as soon as you realise you are caught in it, this feeling is intensified a thousand-fold when Sky News only want to cover one story. Endlessly. For days on end. Despite there being no material new developments (a kind of televisual Daily Mail if you will).

So a Russian spy died last week. The stuff of a Tom Clancy film no doubt, but you could have watched the whole of that film many times over by now and Sky News is still reporting the story as its "Top Story" under ever more frequent, bright red, "Breaking News" banners:

"Breaking News: Traces of polonium-210 found in just about everywhere the dead spy went recently".

Shock. Gasp. Really?? No kidding? Is that really news, or a statement of the obvious!

Is it dangerous to anyone?

Answer - no, not really.

SO WHY IS IT STILL NEWS THEN???!!!!!!

And notice how, somewhat predictably, when the media gets desperate for a new angle, the Government are suddenly brought into the equation. Seriously, whilst this was quite an interesting and unusual story when it first broke, this is not (and never was) something that requires a House of Commons statement. Like many things, notwithstanding the media's attempts to establish some kind of link, however tenuous, it has nothing to do with the Government.

And what of this "polonium-210"? Have you noticed how it is the new, never-really-heard-of-before-but-now-sounds-a-cool-word-to-use buzz-word that every newsreader on Sky cannot help but repeat at least once every 10 seconds? It is quickly becoming this year's "metatarsal".

Enough with the "top story" news coverage. One Russian, murdered in suspicious circumstances (and, admittedly, using unconventional means) does not warrant blanket coverage for what is now nearly 5 days. Come back to us with an "And finally..." if anything happens that is a material issue warranting public attention. If not, let it go. Surely something else must be happening in the world??

It's raining!!

Admittedly not a particularly exciting title, but something of an event here in the land of the eternal sunshine. Rained for about 30 mins today. Weird. Hasn't rained since (I believe) February. And twice in one year is almost unheard of. Was still enough to create some localised flooding.

None of the locals know quite what to make of rain. Everyone still drives at the same speed despite the fact that the roads, bedded down with so much ground in rubber and dirt, are like ice rinks when they become wet. So accidents aplenty.

And everyone starts driving with their hazard lights on, which obviously makes it impossible to tell when those in front of you intend to change lanes (not that it is any easier usually - indicators being treated by most as a somewhat unnecessary frill!).

Anyway, a little bit of rain might make the town that much cleaner. Which is no bad thing. It will probably make front page news tomorrow.

Actually makes you feel a bit homesick...

Casino Royale

Just how good is this movie? Saw it over the weekend and was seriously impressed. Not to say relieved that the Bond franchise has re-railed itself.

Realising of course that the general public are fickle when it comes to all things Bondian (just how many newspapers, magazines and websites are currently running the "Who was the best Bond ever" poll at present, all of which produce the same predictable results of Connery, followed by Brosnan, followed by Moore, followed by Dalton followed by Lazenby - the last two sometimes changing places, but generally on such low scores that no-one either notices or cares) I feel a little reckless in saying that Daniel Craig may just be rivalling Sean for the top spot. But I really thought he was excellent in the role. And (gasp) sooooooo much better than Pierce Brosnan.

To be honest, something seemed to go wrong with the Bond films from the moment that Licence to Kill failed to be the summer blockbuster of 1989 resulting in a 6 year hiatus on Bond movies (the longest gap between any 2 Bond films). By 1995, everyone had seemed to have forgotten what Bond films were all about and so, as a handy reminder, all of the cliches and double entendres were crammed into the first 15 minutes of Goldeneye. I genuinely thought (and said at the time) that Goldeneye was poor. The 3 that followed were much the same. Pierce Brosnan seemed to play the role as an amalgam of the Connery and Moore interpretations, and in so doing didn't make the role his own, but rather made the role just a blander version of both his main predecessors. Daniel Craig has, admittedly, benefitted from a radical overhaul of the structure of how the film is played out (at no time in the past has the main bad guy been killed off by someone other than Bond), the lack of Q (John Cleese is not suited to Bond at all) and a much more polished script.

And the lack of big name stars (excl. Judi Dench) is also a good thing. After all, how many of the bad guys and Bond girls in the 60s and 70s were big name actors renowned for other things before their Bond roles (Halle Berry, Denise Richards, Robert Carlyle, Sean Bean, etc).

And they even trashed an Aston Martin DBS (in impressive record-breaking style).

So overall, this Bond fan was seriously impressed. Roll on Bond 22....

It's all gone potty!

This morning, Jack reached another little milestone in life's rich tapestry. He managed to, er, 'christen' his potty!

Admittedly, not a subject of great interest to the wider public but nevertheless something that I wanted to record for posterior-ty (ho ho)!

And I also wanted to record our relief that it wasn't our other recently purchased "rich tapestry" - an authentic and quite expensive Iranian silk rug with 900 knots per square inch that took one person 18 months to sew! - that Jack chose to... how can I put it?... de-faece.

Day 3 of the blog and already doing toilet humour gags!

There's somebody at the door...

Last night, whilst Michele and I were spending yet another interesting evening in front of the TV, desperately seeking something worth watching on BBC Prime (a sort of amalgam of all that is terrible about daytime lifestyle shows on BBC1 from 3 or 4 years ago, assembled into an evening schedule that comprises the same programmes every night) and finding nothing, there was a sudden knock at the door.

A small Thai lady (could've been Philipino, Vietnamese, or even Chinese to be honest - my ability to tell the difference is clearly shameful) was clutching a small box and greeted me with the oft-heard phrase:

"Allo sir, you wan chip DVD?".

In 3 and a half years in Abu Dhabi, the trade of selling pirate DVDs has never come to our front door, but frequently comes knocking at the office. It's quite entertaining, especially when the ladies treat their goods as though they were illegal drugs. Of course the trade is illegal here, but like most things in Abu Dhabi (the best example being local Arabs propping up the local bars in full national dress, supping tankards of beer) a blind eye is turned.

Anyway, needless to say I wasn't tempted by any of her DVDs. Is it just me, or is it not incredibly infuriating to watch a film that isn't picture and sound perfect? I'll admit that £15 or more is perhaps more than some films are worth (Michele bought Legally Blonde once..... no comment needed), but I'd rather not watch a film at all than have to persevere with scratchy dialogue playing that is forever trying to catch up with the distorted green pictures that it is intended to synch with. You wouldn't buy a CD that you couldn't really hear, so why buy a film that you cannot really see?

Good Night, and Good Luck: A Good Evening Spent

It having been ages since I'd sat down and watched a good movie without interruption (ie without having one's time hi'Jack'ed if you will), I decided that yesterday evening was a good opportunity to watch one of the many DVDs I'd recently bought/received as birthday presents. Feeling somewhat in need of an intellect injection, I selected "Good Night and Good Luck". And was most impressed.

Not what you'd describe as action packed, this reasonably short (90 mins) film was still remarkable for its ability immediately to make you feel part of both the era, and the eerie paranoia, in which this true-story is set (post-war, but communism fearing, early 1950s America). The plot synopsis you can read elsewhere, but I was pleasantly surprised by this film – thinking it might be a little heavy-going (perhaps due to my usual scepticism of modern films being shot in black and white in an attempt to prove themselves "arty"), it was clear that the black and white nature of the film not only enabled archive footage to blend seamlessly with the main film, but also helped emphasise that this was a film about two sides (communist paranoia feeding legitimised "witch-hunt" persecution of anyone with suspected communist sympathies). Ultimately, the realisation of the injustice involved in the latter helped dilute the former.

Acting (particularly David Strathairn, Frank Langella, and even (I thought), Robert Downey Jr), cinematography and screenplay all excellent. Mr Sutton said that he knows that he's enjoyed a film if he is still thinking about it the next day. This is certainly true of me today. Strangely though, for me it isn't actually the storyline of 'broadcaster versus politician' that causes me to reflect, but rather the contextual background in which this all played out; an age when television was a relatively new invention and, perhaps as a result of arguments put forward by the likes of Edward Murrow, able to be steered away in the years that followed from what was otherwise becoming an apparent destiny to be solely an entertainment facility. In an age of 24 hour reality-obsessed 'car crash' telly, many of the ideas expressed in this film as to how, looking forward from the 1950s, television had the potential to inform and educate a mass audience, could benefit from being revisited. This film helps to do that.

So here it is...

Welcome all.

Have decided to join the 21st century and start sharing thoughts and messages with the world.

Actually, thought this may be a new way of imparting large amounts of news (as if we have any!) in one foul swoop. Email seems so.... last year.

In my eagerness to get writing, I haven't yet looked at the design of the blog layout. Thoughts welcome. The only criteria to date is that it had to be brown. Like the Desert. And Abu Dhabi after a sandstorm.

A quick word on the title "Not Enough Sand". 'tis the answer to the age-old question of "What have you got if your lawyer is buried up to his neck in sand." Seemed strangely appropriate.

Anyway, more ideas and commentary as it comes to me.

Must work out now how to link in Messrs Smith and Sutton...